Spire Wealth Management Purchases 6,993 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Spire Wealth Management grew its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 181.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,839 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,993 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 330.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.0%

American Electric Power stock opened at $131.08 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $127.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.33. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.46 and a fifty-two week high of $135.00.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.07 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 56.72%.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In other news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,025,798.60. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AEP. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $133.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on American Electric Power from $125.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank started coverage on American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $137.00 price target on the stock. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.10.

American Electric Power Profile

American Electric Power (NASDAQ: AEP) is a major investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is primarily engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, operating a diverse portfolio of power plants and an extensive high-voltage transmission network. AEP serves retail customers through its regulated utility subsidiaries and provides wholesale power and grid services across multiple regional markets in the United States.

Operations span the full utility value chain: AEP owns and operates generation assets that include fossil-fuel, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower facilities, and it has been adding renewable resources to its mix.